Like it or not, you should want your favourite players to take part in AFLX

Matt Walsh is a Melbourne-based sports journalist who willingly travels far and wide to watch any sport. Not only has he seen NFL in Dallas, football in London, baseball in Arlington and hockey in Boston, he's covered F1, AFL, Wimbledon and the Australian Open for a number of media outlets.

It split opinions - some enjoyed the spectacle, others saw it as a risk to player wellbeing and a 'Mickey Mouse' concept, but one thing is for sure - you should want your side's players to be involved in AFLX.

Editor's Picks

It's a little contrived and it tries to buy into the Big Bash League mould, but when you have some of the league's most experienced heads running around in the same colours as your favourite young players, it can only be a good thing - just ask Bolts captain Patrick Dangerfield.

Thinking back to his time in the International Rules tour of Ireland in 2010, Dangerfield said it was the opportunity to spend time learning from champions from outside of his own team that helped him become a better player in the long run.

Speaking to the media following the 2019 AFLX tournament, the Geelong star said he made calculated moves at the AFLX draft table to ensure some of the competition's up-and-coming young stars got to mix with some of the best in the business.

"[AFLX could be] a really important thing to be involved in as a younger player," Dangerfield said.

"With Jaidyn Stephenson, Jack Billings, Andy McGrath - all these younger guys, they get to spend time with guys like Luke Hodge, Luke Parker who are champions of our game."

While the time the Bolts spent together was only brief, Dangerfield said he had encouraged his younger charges to "get to know" the veterans on a personal level, something he had done nine years prior in Ireland.

"They get to know them on a different level rather than just shaking their hands at the end of the game," he said. "They get to learn a bit about what makes them tick and that's what these last few days have been about, just to learn about how to become so good.

"They get to see them prepare, albeit in a different setting, but I found it so valuable (in the International Rules)."

Patrick Dangerfield and Dylan Shiel scrap for the ball during the AFLX event. Michael Dodge/Getty Images

It wasn't just the young Bolts who had some valuable learning time with current champions. Willie Rioli and Jade Gresham rubbed shoulders with Eddie Betts as part of team Deadly, Jack Higgins got to learn from Marcus Bontempelli and Nat Fyfe at the Flyers, while Bailey Fritsch and Zac Fisher had time to talk tactics with the likes of Rory Sloane and Dylan Shiel in Rampage.

Skipper of the winning Rampage, Jack Riewoldt, agreed and found all players mingled well in the lead-up and during the tournament itself.

"It's not very often you get 50 of the best AFL players together ... everyone has loved it and enjoyed it. The bonding between the group was notable and we had a fantastic time," Riewoldt said.

Sydney co-captain Josh Kennedy said it was "well worthwhile" sharing the experience with some of the league's "great players".

It might give some fans heart palpitations to see their AFL side's best and brightest put their body on the line for a contest with little meaning but the learning that wouldn't ordinarily occur is one of the best reasons to let it slide.